For the second time in weeks, Jun found herself waking up in the Academy infirmary, though this time was far different. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Shiori's human face staring at her with a strange look before she was wrapped in a very firm hug.

"Ack," she croaked as she felt something pop, only for the familiar warmth of healing magic to wash over her and fix it.

"Shiori, you're hugging the girl too hard," Inari said with exasperation.

Shiori didn't say anything, just turned her head and hissed at Inari before squeezing Jun more, though this time nothing popped or cracked.

"Wha-What happened?" Jun gasped struggling to breathe through the hug.

"Ivar nearly killed you, and he was lucky he was just expelled," she heard Sara say as she felt another weight sit on the bed next to her.

"Nearly killed? Expelled?" Jun asked, her thoughts fuzzy. She vaguely recalled a training fight that went wrong somehow, and then she was somewhere else. Somewhere familiar. She fought and— her mind went blank as she felt something burning her deep inside, somewhere past her heart and her core.

The warmth of healing magic washed over her again, easing the burning pain back from an inferno to a smouldering ember. Jun gasped for breath as she slumped against Shiori's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, just rest for a bit, kitten," Shiori whispered before finally releasing her. "We can talk about it later." Before Jun could respond, Shiori got up and strode to the door, Inari falling in behind her, before both women turned to look at Jun and Sara.

"Make sure to rest," Shiori said, staring ominously at Jun. Jun nodded as bile crept back up her throat. She had a feeling if she didn't listen then there'd be some bitter soup in her future. Oh who was she kidding, Shiori would probably be shoving soup down her throat even if she did listen.

"Don't tire her out too much Sara," Inari said with a wide smile and a wink.

Shiori sighed and walked out the door as Jun and Sara started blushing.

"Ugh! Mom! It's not like that! Get out!" Sara screamed, throwing a knife at the foxkin.

Giggling like a school girl, Inari plucked the deadly projectile out of the air as if it were a toy and twirled it about her fingers as she turned around, still laughing, and followed Shiori through the door, finally leaving the two alone.

A minute passed in awkward silence as Jun and Sara there, alone on Jun's infirmary bed. She desperately wanted to say something, but no words came to mind. Damnit! Why was it so hard to come up with something to say? It's not like this was the first time they'd been alone together. There'd been plenty of nights where Cecilia had to stay late helping the Sergeant or Sara would help her study something. But now, all she could do was sit next to Sara awkwardly in silence.

Relief finally arrived when Sara cleared her throat and met Jun's eyes. "So…" she began, breaking the awkward silence. "...how are you feeling?" Sara shifted a bit closer as she asked the question.

Jun's heart pounded at how just how close she was to Sara. They'd been close before, closer even, like in the bathhouse, but something about this moment felt different. More intimate. "F-Fine, just a bit of a headache," she stuttered, her blush deepening. Why was she so awkward? It wasn't the first time she'd been alone with Sara, but Inari's parting words were stuck in her head along with other thoughts she didn't dare think about too closely.

"Do you remember what happened?" the elf asked, an emotion Jun was far too familiar with crossing the girl's face. Jun couldn't help but flinch back a bit, but Sara's face softened immediately as the elf placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. The elf's touch was electric, radiating a thrill that shot through her shoulder to her chest, her stomach, and down her spine.

Jun leaned into the touch slightly, then shook her head. "Not much…" Jun swallowed dryly as she made contact with Sara, her throat tightening. Was it hot in here? "I… don't remember much. Just… sparring with Ivar." Jun could remember the way her arms shook with every blocked blow, her scrambling backwards, the way she didn't even dare to try to parry with the force behind the boy's blows. And then, an opportunity to change the tempo. A dirty trick, but it made sense at the time. "He nearly got me, but I managed to disarm him, then…" Jun tried to think about what happened next. She could feel that there was something important that happened. Something monumental. Pain. The scent of the ocean. Darkness. She tried to remember what happened, but her memories were like sand flowing between her fingers. No matter how hard she tried to hold onto them, they escaped. "...then, nothing. Woke up here."

"I see." Sara's face darkened as she stared at a spot on the floor. Jun could easily picture storm clouds in the woman's eyes, and that anger made her seem dangerous, like a naked blade.

"Can… can you tell me what happened?"

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Sara frowned and peered into Jun's eyes, as if searching for something. Long seconds passed and Jun fought the urge to break eye contact, uncomfortable but enjoying the attention all the same. After what seemed like an eternity, but was anything but, Sara nodded and began to speak. "I wasn't there, but Cecilia told me what happened. Your classmate lost it when he started to losing to you. He used a skill. Tried to kill you. Something went wrong with the barrier and Professor Sloan wasn't able to stop the fight fast enough. Ivar nearly killed you before he could pull him off of you."

Jun's confusion must have been obvious, because Sara answered her question before she could ask. "Professor Avery Sloan. Better known amongst the younger students as the Sergeant. He's a war hero, Peak Platinum, but far more dangerous than any normal Platinum. He single-handedly killed a Peak Diamond general in Moros' last war with the Empire of Flesh."

"Anyways… Cecilia said Professor Sloan nearly killed Ivar when he got his hands on him and he was dragged off to the infirmary before you. He's apparently still here in one of the secure rooms. Inari had to stop your mother from killing him after she knew you were okay. Cecilia was here for a bit, but she had to get back to help the Professor before you woke. Apparently he pushed to have Ivar expelled."

"Expelled? But it was just a training fight right? I-I provoked him. Threw sand in his eyes. K-kicked him in…"

"Jun, we're training to fight and kill monsters and criminals. Don't let all the noble idiots running around this school fool you. We're adventurers. We don't have the luxury of fighting fair, and Ivar knew this. He's a trained warrior. You're a mage. You're not allowed to use magic because you need to be able to fight if you run out of mana. Ivar wasn't supposed to use any skills or fatal attacks because he already had an overwhelming advantage in training and experience. He ignored all of that and used a skill. He tried to kill you in front of Professor Sloan. He's lucky Sloan didn't just kill him outright. Don't feel guilty for what happened to Ivar. If anything you should be angry he's not getting thrown to the city guard." Sara's chest heaved as she breathed rapidly, her voice hot with fury as she vented.

Jun's guilt at Ivar's fate melted away before the heat of Sara's fury on her behalf, and left behind something else. Something awkward. "Oh." Jun mentally groaned at herself. Oh. Was that really all she could think to say?!

Sara closed her eyes and took a few breaths before opening them and smiling at her, her forest green eyes shining like emeralds. "Like I said, it's not on you. You didn't do anything wrong. Anyways! Have you ever played Dragon's Hoard?" Sara asked, producing a deck of cards with a flourish.

"Never heard of it…"

"Don't worry, I'll teach you."

Ivar winced as he was frog marched out of the Academy District before being forcefully shoved onto one of the bridges. A heavy bag slammed into him from behind and fell into a muddy puddle, splashing cold slush across his shins. "Get the fuck out of my sight," the Sergeant growled. As Ivar turned around, all he could see was the intimidating man's back as he ignored him.

Avery Sloan was a bit of a legend, the Platinum that even Mythrils feared and respected. A war hero who slew a Peak Diamond enemy general in single combat. Someone even his father respected. But Ivar had learned what the man was truly like. He coddled the weak and punished the strong. He hadn't learned much of anything in the Sergeant's classes. The exercises were easier than his own normal training. His classmates were all far weaker than him, so much so that he'd been restricted from using his skills and mana. He was certain the Sergeant was just afraid of his potential. Even Ghorro had been like that, teaching him a few advanced things but always forcing him to retrain things he'd already mastered, as if he wasn't ready for advanced lessons.

Angrily, he picked up the heavy duffle, hearing his armor clank inside of it, his enchanted war axe strapped to the top. Reaching down, he pulled the weapon from his straps and hefted it to his shoulder as he glared at the Sergeant's, no Sloan's, back as the coward retreated back to the coddled weaklings he considered students.

"Don't even think about it kid," one of the city guards manning the bridge said, his fingers casually tapping along the haft of his spear. The silver badge on his chest marked him as over level 200. The guard's comrades stiffened slightly as they fixed him with a stare, all of them with Iron badges of their own.

"Just grabbing my shit," Ivar grunted, his eyes narrowing on Sloan's back as he stooped down and snatched up his bag, splashing the guards' feet with a bit of muddy slush.

"You got your shit, now get out. We find you in this district again, you can say goodbye to that pretty axe of yours when you join the penal corps."

Ivar only grunted as he turned his back to the guards and marched towards Central. "Oh I'll be back, and you'll regret it," he muttered quietly, several faces coming to mind. The guards, Sloan, his assistants, his friends who'd abandoned him as soon as they heard he'd been expelled, and the cause of all his misfortune, that bitch Jun. Their faces were burned into his memory as he seethed with rage. He'd show all of them.

"The hoard is mine!" Jun shouted, giggling as she pulled the rest of the cards towards her side, forming a small pile on the sheets of her bed.

Across from her, Sara smiled as she tossed her hand into the pile. "Good game," she said softly. "But it's getting late, I should get going, and you need to get some rest."

Jun felt disappointment crop up in her chest as she flicked her eyes to the window. It was indeed dark. She could see snow coming down, the flakes reflecting the lights of the Academy in a bright glow that lit the night, but there was no mistaking how dark it was. Jun didn't want Sara to go though. "Can you… stay with me?" Jun squeaked, her heart thumping as she finally said one of the things she wanted to say, both anticipating and dreading Sara's answer.

"If you're sure," Sara said with a smile.

"I-I'm sure, I don't want to be alone tonight," Jun said hurriedly, afraid Sara might change her mind if she hesitated.

"Alright," Sara said, standing up. "Let me just go get a chair and—"

"You can share the bed with me!" Jun blurted out, blushing again as she realized she'd interrupted Sara. "I-I mean… Sorry… uh…"

Sara just smiled and sat back down on the bed next to her. "Great, then move over, the bed's a bit tight for the two of us but we can manage if you don't mind getting a bit close."

"That's… That's fine…"

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